Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs General Motors Company: Strategic Comparison

This in-depth comparison examines Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and General Motors Company across revenue, market value, business model, competitive positioning, and long-term growth strategy. Whether you are researching Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on its own, evaluating General Motors Company, or weighing the two companies side by side, the breakdown below highlights where each company leads and where the gap between Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and General Motors Company is widest.

On the headline numbers, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reports annual revenue of $371.4B against $185.0B for General Motors Company, while their respective market capitalizations stand at $1.05T and $73.7B. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is headquartered in United States and General Motors Company operates from United States, and those different home markets shape how each company competes.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: Berkshire began as a textile company and became a holding company after Warren Buffett gained control in 1965. The modern company is a collection of operating businesses and investments bound by decentralized management, conservative financing, and a long-term shareholder culture.

General Motors Company: GM's fiscal 2025 results show a huge revenue base with thinner earnings. Revenue was $185.02 billion, down slightly from fiscal 2024, while net income attributable to stockholders fell to $2.70 billion amid EV investment, China pressure, restructuring, and autonomous-vehicle uncertainty.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and General Motors Company pursue distinct approaches to generating revenue, and understanding how each company operates is the foundation of any fair comparison between Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and General Motors Company.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. business model: Berkshire makes money through insurance underwriting and float investment, freight rail, regulated utilities and energy infrastructure, industrial manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, services, and a large portfolio of equity and fixed-income investments.

General Motors Company business model: General Motors makes money by designing, manufacturing, wholesaling, financing, and servicing vehicles. The core profit engine is North American trucks and SUVs, supported by GM Financial, parts and service, OnStar subscriptions, software features, fleet sales, and international operations.

The durability of a company's moat often decides long-term winners. Here is how the competitive advantages of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stack up against those of General Motors Company.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. competitive advantage: Berkshire's advantage is permanent capital, insurance float, a conservative balance sheet, reputation with sellers, and a decentralized culture that attracts owner-minded managers.

General Motors Company competitive advantage: GM's advantage is its North American truck and large-SUV franchise, manufacturing scale, supplier base, dealer network, financing arm, and decades of connected-vehicle data through OnStar. Those assets fund the transition even as EV economics remain difficult.

Future prospects matter as much as current results. The growth strategies below explain how Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and General Motors Company each plan to expand from here.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. growth strategy: Berkshire's growth strategy is not a top-down operating plan; it is disciplined capital allocation. The company reinvests in subsidiaries, buys public equities, acquires private businesses when prices fit, and keeps a fortress balance sheet for downturns.

General Motors Company growth strategy: The strategy is to protect high-margin trucks and SUVs, scale Ultium-based EVs where demand is profitable, expand software and services, use GM Financial to support sales, and focus capital on markets where GM has a realistic path to returns.

A closer look at the financial trajectory of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and General Motors Company rounds out the comparison.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: For FY2025, Berkshire reported $371.444B in revenue and $66.968B in net income attributable to shareholders. Its filing reported about 387,800 employees worldwide at year-end. The updated net income replaces the prior-year comparison figure previously used in this profile.

General Motors Company: Fiscal 2025 revenue was $185.02 billion, down from $187.44 billion in fiscal 2024. Net income attributable to stockholders was $2.70 billion, and GM reported total worldwide employment of 155,000 people at year-end.